On the eve of Easter, the Christian community in Egypt was rocked by another deadly attack on their places of worship, with dozens killed and dozens more injured during services on Palm Sunday. The attacks came as the Middle East, Syria in particular, continues to be a hotbed of death and destruction. There was some joy in New Zealand, with the final profession of the first De La Salle Brother in 20 years, and the generosity of service of altar server in his 40s also brings a smile to faces after the difficulty of other stories. Join Anna, Don, James and Gavin in this Easter episode of The 15th Station, We wish you all a happy and blessed Easter season.

Pope Francis — not for the first time — features prominently in this month’s episode of The 15th Station. He’s going to examine the possibility of ordaining married men to help address priest shortages in some remote parts of the world and he has also challenged us to be more generous in the way we respond to those who are asking for our charity. Back in New Zealand, plans have been unveiled for an Archdiocesan Synod in Wellington, to be held later this year, looking at the present and future of the Church there. In the US, Catholic bishops and ministry leaders remain deeply concerned about President Trump’s approach to refugees and asylum seekers. But a “Franciscan” dog might be able to bring a smile to our faces to wrap up the show. James and Gavin welcome a new podcaster, Anna, to this episode. Enjoy the show!

It’s been a manic first (almost) month in the Trump presidency, and the US bishops have been both praising and criticising the President. In Australia, the bishops have been more focused on repentance, as damning statistics emerge about the extent of sexual abuse in the Church there. Back in New Zealand, there’s more analysis of the changing religious landscape and, internationally, there’s conjecture about a new translation of the Mass. But what would Jesus tweet? Catholic comedian Stephen Colbert offers his thoughts. Join Don, James and Gavin for the latest episode of The 15th Station.

The remarkable and unexpected election of Donald Trump highlights this month’s episode, with stories about the voting patterns of Catholic and Evangelicals and the hope for shared priorities with the Catholic Church and the President-Elect. Pope Francis’s affirmation of the Church’s teaching on women’s ordination and the news that the Christchurch Cathedral could be fully restored — at the cost of $100 million — also feature on the show. But the big question of the month is “What happened to a New Zealand teddy bear at the Vatican?” Enjoy the show.

The longest — and most negative — presidential campaign in history is coming to a close. Don, James and Gavin talk about the Pope’s advice for US voters: Study the policies, pray and vote your conscience. Where does that leave voters? The panel also discuss a new bishop in Australia, who’s actually a New Zealander, the new group of cardinals and what that says about Pope Francis’s vision for the Church, and also the ecumenical efforts of Anglican and Catholic leaders, including two Kiwi bishops. And this month’s light story isn’t all that light; in fact, it’s pretty dark. Does the world have enough exorcists? Enjoy another diverse episode of The 15th Station.

The canonisation of Mother Teresa — now St Teresa of Calcutta — was the big news story of the month, and it takes top billing in this episode of The 15th Station. But news of two Popes isn’t too far behind, after an interview with Pope Benedict was released, prompting a flurry of media stories. For Pope Francis, it was him being chosen as the world’s most inspirational leader by former NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark and his meeting with Mark Zuckerberg that features on the show. And, with less than two months until the US election, Democrat VP candidate Tim Kaine raised eyebrows with his prediction the Catholic Church might eventually join the ranks of those who support same-sex marriage. Find out if Don, James and Gavin disagree.

Somewhat recurrent themes on The 15th Station — clerical abuse and the state of the US presidential race — show their face again in this month’s episode. Pope Francis has taken steps to make the removal of negligent bishops more straightforward, despite some counter-productive efforts in the US on statutes of limitations. Former NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark says the country offers a model for religious tolerance at about the same time Donald Trump is accused of lacking in that virtue. The holiness of a French priest who served in New Zealand and the humour of Jim and Jeanne Gaffigan might save us.

Pope Francis can’t seem to stay out of the headlines, but it’s mostly for positive reasons that he’s in the media in the first place. Pope Francis’s gesture — which he says wasn’t political — to bring 12 Syrians back to Rome from the Greek island of Lesbos captured headlines and people’s hearts. His call for tough action on paedophiles was well received, but many want actions rather than words. The new Filipino president’s words, including a pretty unkind swipe at Pope Francis, were also in the news, as was discussion of women deacons. But was the media coverage more hopeful than truthful? Check out a transcript of what the Pope actually said. Maybe James, Don and Gavin could get more information from the Pastafarian lovebirds married in New Zealand. Yes; you read that correctly. Enjoy the show.

Pope Francis’s summer has surely been soured (#sarcasm) by new polls in the United States that show his popularity is waning across the board — with conservatives and progressives alike not as enamoured with the Pontiff as they were a year ago. The poll comes a few weeks before his visit to the US. When it comes to Antarctica, though, there won’t be any more visits from Catholic priests, with money and a lack of demand seeing an end to New Zealand priests ministering on The Ice. In other news, the divorced and remarried debate continues and a Kiwi priest with a colourful past gets an important international gig. But it’s the papal declaration on the secret to happiness that has Lucy, Don, James and Gavin really excited. Enjoy the episode.

The Synod on the Family — or Part 1 of the Synod, at least — has continued to dominate headlines in the Church, including in New Zealand, where the lone Archbishop, Wellington’s John Dew, continues to be a strong proponent of changes to the pastoral care of Catholics who have divorced and remarried. Don, James and Gavin pick up the conversation on the controversial topic, and also discuss the unrest among some senior bishops and cardinals, as well as the allegedly groundbreaking moment of a Pope saying evolution might be real! Quelle horreur! There’s also the actually groundbreaking comments of Prince Charles on persecuted Christians and the latest “Jesus was married” conspiracy. Enjoy the show — and if you do, why not invite a friend to listen too?

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The 15th Station is our active monthly news podcast. We get a panel of Kiwi Catholics together to provide a Catholic perspective on the news and current events of the month.

Catechiwi is our archived catechesis podcast where we get a guest theologian from around the country or the world to speak on an aspect of the Catholic Faith.

Ignition leverages our partnerships with organisations like Hearts Aflame to provide a back catalogue of amazing lectures and talks from international speakers. We divide these talks up into multi-part podcasts.